The Overzealous Programmer

In The Pragmatic Programmer, Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas make the case for aggressive refactoring (p. 176)

Don't be a slave to history.  Don't let existing code dictate future code.  All code can be replaced if it is no longer appropriate.  Even within one program, don't let what you've already done constrain what you do next--be ready to refactor. [...] This decision may impact the project schedule.  The assumption is that the impact will be less than the cost of not making the change.1

This makes a good, if brief, case.  But there's a footnote.

1.  You can go too far here.  We once knew a developer who rewrote all source he was given because he had his own naming convention.

This is a familiar figure to those who discuss refactoring, who I will (at least initially) call the Overzealous Programmer.  He is the Struwwelpeter brother of the Software Craftsman, and he is often invoked to warn against the dangers of caring too much about the condition of the code.

I wonder where the Overzealous Programmer figure comes from, and when he first appeared?  Are there counterparts in other professions?  Do doctors have a cautionary figure for, say, those who are too invested in the health of their patients, or too fastidious in maintaining their surgical skills? 

Does he still serve a good end, or is it time for his retirement?